Facts About Holistic Counselling

Last updated on 31 October 2025 by Brisbane Livewell Clinic Editorial Team

If you’ve ever felt too much or struggled to fit into spaces that feel clinical, analytical or detached, Holistic Counselling may offer something different. Whether you’re navigating burnout, masking fatigue, identity loss or emotional overwhelm, Holistic Counselling supports your full experience without judgement. This article outlines key facts about what Holistic Counselling is, who it supports, and why it may be the right choice for you.

1. Holistic Counselling supports more than mental health

It considers your emotional, physical, relational, spiritual and nervous system experience. It doesn’t reduce your distress to symptoms. It recognises how your past, environment and sensitivity shape how you move through the world.

2. The nervous system matters here

You don’t have to push through or explain everything. Your nervous system will often lead the way. Sessions are paced around safety and capacity, not performance.

3. It’s not goal-driven or advice-based

You don’t need to fix yourself or achieve insight quickly. Holistic Counselling is relational, exploratory and present-centred. You are supported in being with what is, not forced into what should be.

4. Spiritual and existential questions are welcome

If you’re unsure of your direction, disillusioned with societal goals, or exploring inner purpose, this work holds space for those conversations with care and respect.

5. It’s especially helpful for sensitive and neurodivergent adults

Many people who come to this work describe feeling “too sensitive” or “too intense” in other settings. Here, your sensitivity is not a barrier to progress but a part of your experience that’s understood.

6. Sessions are shaped around your rhythm

You don’t have to arrive with a plan. Silence is welcome. Messy emotions are welcome. There’s space for not knowing.

7. Stillness, meditation and dream work can be included

If you’re interested, we may work with grounding practices, intuitive awareness, or dream exploration. These are offered, not imposed.

8. It’s okay if you don’t know why you’re struggling

Many patients arrive with a sense of “something’s off” but no clear reason. Holistic Counselling helps you get closer to what that might be, without rushing clarity.

9. You don’t need to be in crisis to come

You may simply want more connection, understanding or steadiness. That’s enough reason to begin.

10. You can bring all parts of yourself

You don’t have to split off your spiritual life from your emotional distress, or your intellect from your sensitivity. All of you is welcome.

11. There’s no fixed method

Sessions are adapted to your needs and what you’re capable of holding that day. There’s no formula.

12. You’ll likely experience a slower, deeper kind of support

Rather than surface strategies, this work aims to build inner steadiness, relational safety and emotional clarity.

13. There’s no pressure to perform wellness

You don’t need to show progress, appear composed, or keep your emotions tidy. What’s real is more useful than what’s polished.

14. This approach often resonates when other therapies haven’t

Many people who come to Holistic Counselling say they felt dismissed or misread elsewhere. The relational style of this work tends to land differently.

In My Experience (Nathan Gurry)

The people who reach out to me are often highly self-aware but deeply tired. They’ve done the reading, tried the tools, and still feel like something is unresolved. Holistic Counselling gives us space to stop trying so hard and get curious about what’s actually happening under the surface.

What Patients Often Say

“I finally felt understood, without having to explain everything.”
“This space helped me see that I wasn’t broken – just exhausted from holding everything in.”

Ready to Begin?

If you’ve felt disconnected, overstimulated or like your experience never quite fits what others expect, Holistic Counselling might be right for you. I see patients at Brisbane Livewell Clinic in Wavell Heights. You can book online or call Reception on (07) 3861 5881.

FAQs

1. What is Holistic Counselling and how does it work?

Holistic Counselling supports the emotional, nervous system and relational experience of a person. It’s not focused on symptom reduction, but on meeting each part of your experience with presence, awareness and care. The process is collaborative, flexible and grounded in how you actually feel – not how you’re supposed to feel.

2. Who should see a Holistic Counsellor?

This work is especially helpful for sensitive adults, neurodivergent people, those experiencing burnout, identity loss, grief, emotional overwhelm or spiritual disconnection. It’s also suitable for those who’ve found other therapies too clinical, fast-paced or impersonal.

3. Is Holistic Counselling the same as therapy?

Holistic Counselling is a form of therapeutic support, but not clinical therapy. It doesn’t diagnose or treat conditions. Instead, it helps you explore your inner world safely and slowly. The focus is on awareness, clarity and presence.

4. What makes Holistic Counselling different from psychology?

Holistic Counselling is non-pathologising and not treatment-based. It doesn’t focus on what’s wrong with you, but rather what’s happening in your emotional, nervous system and relational life. It supports the whole person – including your intuition, sensitivity and sense of meaning.

5. Can Holistic Counselling help with anxiety and overwhelm?

Yes. Anxiety and emotional overwhelm are common reasons people begin this work. Rather than managing symptoms alone, Holistic Counselling helps you understand the underlying patterns and supports nervous system regulation in a way that feels grounded.

6. Do I need to have something specific to talk about?

You don’t need to prepare a topic or arrive with clarity. Some patients begin with a general sense of disconnection or fatigue. You’re met where you are, even if that’s uncertain or quiet.

7. Can I talk about spiritual or existential themes in sessions?

Absolutely. Many people explore questions of meaning, intuition, consciousness and identity. These conversations are held respectfully and without judgement.

8. I’m neurodivergent. Will this work suit me?

Yes. Many of my patients are autistic, ADHD or resonate with traits of neurodivergence. The work is shaped to be sensory-aware, pressure-free, and focused on your pace and needs – not external expectations.

9. What happens if I get overwhelmed during a session?

That’s okay. We’ll slow down and return to whatever feels safe enough to hold. There’s no expectation to stay composed. Emotional overwhelm is met with care, not pressure.

10. Do you offer tools like meditation or mindfulness?

Yes, but only if they support you. Some patients explore grounding, stillness, or body-based awareness. Others need rest without tools. We’ll follow what your system actually needs.

11. How frequently should I come to sessions?

That depends on what you’re working with and what your nervous system can hold. Some patients attend weekly or fortnightly, others less often. You don’t have to commit to a set schedule to begin.

12. I’ve tried therapy before and didn’t find it helpful. Should I try again?

Many patients feel this way. Holistic Counselling tends to feel different because the approach is slower, more relational, and not focused on fixing you. It often works well when other approaches haven’t felt right.

13. Do I need a referral to book a session?

No. You can book directly with Reception or through the online booking system. Holistic Counselling doesn’t require a diagnosis, referral or GP involvement.

14. How do I get started with Holistic Counselling?

You can call (07) 3861 5881 or book online through Brisbane Livewell Clinic. I see patients in person at our Wavell Heights location.

Relevant Articles